17

天色漸暗，馬拉松大賽這一天就快結束了，作家先生還沒從黑流蘇之丘出來。鎮上的人們開始擔心起來，終於鎮上的七名壯丁決定組成搜索隊前往山丘找尋作家先生。他們帶了大量的武器，手電筒和電池在山丘前──也就是庫庫家的後方，集結成隊。

庫庫的爸爸在客廳來回踱步、摩擦雙掌、大眼鏡不停滑下鼻樑，他非常猶豫到底要不要加入搜索隊！庫庫的媽媽在房裡打盹，突然一聲雷般的打呼聲，嚇到了爸爸，害他把手電筒摔到地上，滾出門去，剛好滾到搜索隊領頭人的腳邊，他順勢撿起手電筒，庫庫的爸爸紅了臉說：「這…這個…應該幫得上忙…」對方爽朗的咧嘴一笑，拍拍爸爸的肩膀說道：「謝了！老爹」庫庫的爸爸非常開心地微笑進門，因為他幫上了忙，太好了！

「兄弟們！現在是下午五點整，大家對時，我們必須在七點整離開山丘！不然到時候就太暗了，連手電筒的光也會被吃掉的！」領頭人說畢，七個大漢低頭扭轉手錶上的小發條。接著，領頭人率先踏上地表的黑色隆起，這一次黑流蘇完全沒有鼓譟，靜靜的被撥開，整支搜索隊帶著忐忑的心情進入了黑流蘇之丘。

It's getting dark, and the day was passing, while Mr. writer still didn't run out of the hill. People were becoming increasingly worried about him. Finally, seven strongest men in town took determination to seek after Mr. writer. With homemade weapons, flashlights, and batteries, they assembled in front of the hill, where also the back yard of house of KuKu's family.

KuKu's father, who hesitated about joining the search team, kept walking back and forth, rubbing his hands, and pushing his slipped glasses back to where it should stay. KuKu's mother, who took her nap, suddenly made a thunder-like snore, which totally frightened her husband and made him drop a flashlight to the floor. It rolled outside the door until one of the seven men's feet stopped it, and he picked it up.
“It…it might help.” said KuKu's father embarrassedly.
“Thanks! Pal.” The man smiled and tapped the old man on the shoulder.
Old daddy went home with delight of being helpful.

“Guys! It's five now. Let's make sure our watches are on the same time! Cause we gotta out of the hill exactly by seven. Or it would be too dark to search, even the light of flashlights would be eaten by darkness. ” said the chief of the team. Then all of them stared down at their own watches and wound up the tiny clockworks.The chief took his first step upon the black bump on earth, but the tassels stayed quiet this time, without shacking at all. Therefore, seven men, one by one, fearfully and silently went into the hill.

16

眼看一步一步就要逼近黑流蘇之丘了，距離30公尺，黑流蘇有了動靜，它們開始鼓譟起來。距離10公尺，黑流蘇們搖動的更大力了！彷彿再山丘上有一股龍捲風在晃動。整座山丘反映在作家先生的眼睛裡，像一頭揮舞著千萬隻魔手的野獸。

作家先生卻沒有停下來的意思，最後只差一步，就要踏上黑流蘇之丘了！這時，黑流蘇全都馴服了，像自動門一樣安安靜靜的打開屏幕，作家先生緊張的閉上眼睛，跨出他的右腳，最後一步，上去了！左腳一離開地面，黑流蘇們安安靜靜的關上了簾幕，像慢動作般把作家先生吸進黑洞裡了。

趁大家還在驚嚇的沉默中，庫庫飛奔回家，爬上鳥籠跳上二樓，抓起望遠鏡對黑流蘇之丘搜索作家先生的身影。望遠鏡裡作家先生的頭在黑流蘇上面，載浮載沉像一顆掉到墨水裡的包子。

While his way remained 30 meters to the hill, the tassels came alive.
In 10 meters, they started to shake, as if there was a tornado was forming inside. As he ran, the reflection of hill on Mr. writer's eyes came bigger and bigger, like a huge beast waving thousands of hands toward him.

Strangely, Mr. writer had no intention to slow down or stop. He's getting closer and closer until one step away, and at the very moment, tassels were all tamed down and opened an entrance for him. Mr. writer was too nervous to keep eyes open and stepped his right foot upon it, then the other. Almost in the same time, the tassels quietly closed again, brought him deep inside……Not a sound was heard by anyone.

KuKu rushed home when others were still in shock. She jumped up the cage to her attic, and grabbed a telescope looking into it to search Mr. writer. Sinking in the tassels, only Mr. writer's head was visible on the lens, which looked like a dumpling floating upon black ink.

15

「你準備好了嗎？作家先生」鎮長從高台上向下叫。
「應該吧！」
「您看見遠方有個紅色旗子了嗎？」
「欸，看見了。」
「嗯，你跑進黑流蘇之丘後，記得要緊盯著它，往它的方向跑就對了，出口就在那裡！」
「好的。」
「正常估計從這裡跑到出口，加入坡度的阻力計算，大約要5個小時！現在是七點三十分，預計正午十二點半抵達出口…沒有意外的話。欸，為了您的人身安全，希望您準時跑出山丘！畢竟出了山丘，您還有10公里的賽程要繼續，而且您是鎮上唯一的作家先生，我們可不希望失去您這樣尊貴的人…」一陣停頓，鎮長彷彿忘了演講稿的下一句，猛然想起似的才接口「屆時，大家都會在出口迎接您的！」

「那我就放心了！」作家先生微微點點頭。
「等你跑完以後，我們一定會為你舉辦慶祝派對！」鎮長再補一句。
「謝謝！」
「到時候，你一定有很了不起的故事可以寫，對吧！」
「也許吧。」
「太棒了！」鎮長兀自鼓起掌來。
「三、二、砰！」鎮長冷不防對空鳴槍，作家先生身子抖了一下踉踉蹌蹌地起跑了。眾人看著他的背影以穩定的速度朝宇宙黑洞前進。


“Get yourself ready? Mr. writer!” Mayor yelled from stage.
“I think so.”
“Do you see the red flag over there?”
“Yes.”
“Good! After you get into the…hill, remember to keep your eyes on it! Just run to the direction, where is the exit.”
“Okay.”
“According to calculation, five hours are necessary to go through the hill. Now is seven o'clock, for your personal safety's sake, I highly recommend you get out by twelve at noon since there remain 10 km to finish the whole run. Um…besides, you are our only one writer, we surely don't want to lose a noble man like you… ” captured by horrible thoughts, mayor was speechless for couple minutes then said “Oh! Don't you worry! We all will greet you on the exit then!”
“That's comforting.” Mr. writer nodded.
“After this, we would like to throw a party for you.”
“Thanks.”
“I'm sure you will have a great story to tell by then, uh?”
“Maybe.”
“Excellent!”“Three, Two, Bang!” All of a sudden, Mayor shot the gun. Mr. writer shivered by shock then stumbled along to the hill. Everyone stared at his back heading into the black hole of universe.

14

馬拉松大賽當天終於來了。
早上七點鐘，作家先生非常準時出現在起跑點。他穿著背號１的白色運動背心、運動短褲和慢跑鞋，看起來不特別精神抖擻，卻也不特別無精打采，跟平常沒兩樣。

馬拉松大賽的旗幟隨風飄揚，鎮上居民聚集在起跑線周圍，作家先生像表演特技的動物園猴子般，在人牆圈圈中央一邊神色哀傷地一邊做暖身操，彷彿待會要跑進宇宙黑洞般複雜的表情。「一、二、一、二」他提起左腳，再提起右腳，吸氣、吐氣、吸氣、吐氣…從不出門的庫庫也瞞著大人偷跑出來，躲在人群中凝望作家先生。

Finally came the Marathon day run!
Flags waved in the sky, and people gathered around the starting line, even KuKu sneaked in the crowd to watch and wait.
Wearing all sporty suits, Mr. writer arrived on time. He looked neither spirited nor listless, just as usual.
To warm up his body, he began doing some exercise. But surrounded by the whole village residents, he's more like a circus monkey performing a trick than a hero preparing for a task.

Right, left, right, left! Mr. writer lifted both legs alternately.
Inhale, exhale, Inhale, exhale…at the same time, a complicated expression showed on his face like he's about to run into the black hole in universe in a very short future.

13

庫庫再次乘著大鳥籠回到閣樓。閣樓的窗子是全鎮離黑流蘇之丘最近的一扇窗。每天，她都會從窗子觀察山丘的動靜，因此，她知道一些沒人知道的事情。
等等！你問這小女孩不用上學嗎？整天在做黑流蘇的田野調查是吧？沒法子！人們就是不歡迎不一樣的東西，舉例來說：大黑斑就是一個不一樣的東西。這顆過大的痣讓庫庫的學校生活很不順利，爸爸媽媽只好讓她在家自學。每學期爸爸會買新的課本和一些綠色筆記本回來，一整疊綠色筆記本中，大部分都寫滿了課本內容，只有打開對的那一本，你才會讀到一些只有她才知道的秘密：

五月誰上了黑流蘇之丘
5/5烏龜　　
5/15 蟒蛇　　
5/19抹香鯨　
5/25大紅鶴　　
5/26海報？

自從中午目睹飄在半空的馬拉松海報被黑流蘇抓下來後，庫庫就感受到一股不尋常的氣氛。因為，向來都是動物們自動走上山丘，但卻沒瞧過黑流蘇主動把人家抓進去過，倒是抓了一張紙，怪了！甚至現在連作家先生都要上山丘…
搖搖頭，彷彿要抖落這可怕想法，她在筆記本上再添一筆：

5/31 *馬拉松日　作家先生


Riding on the birdcage, KuKu was back to her garret which had the nearest window to the Black Tassel Hill.
Everyday, she opened the window and looked through a telescope at the hill. Therefore, she knew something really secret which no one ever had chance to know.
Wait! You want to know why this little girl didn’t go to school but spend all day spying on the hill? The answer is easy to guess! People do not appreciate difference, the over-sized mole on cheek did frustrated KuKu’s school days.
Thus parents let her do self-study at home. In the beginning of every semester, Dad was responsible for bringing back new textbooks and notebooks.
To pick up the right notebook, you could discover the secrets.

Visitors to the hill in May
5/5　a turtle
5/15 a python
5/19 a sperm whale
5/25 a flamingo
5/26 a poster?

An unusual feeling had hit her mind as witnessing the tassels grab down the poster. According to KuKu’s personal report, Black Tassel Hill never attack anything, but they did today. What’s more awful was Mr. writer, a human being, was going run into it! KuKu shook head as to get rid of this thought and dropped a line on the notebook.

5/31 (Marathon Day) Mr. writer

12

「妳今天練習數學了沒有？」媽媽邊喝豆子湯邊問
「嗯，有阿。鎮長剛剛找大家發生了什麼事啊？」
「小孩子管那麼多！」
「小孩子也是人啊。」
「哈哈哈哈」爸爸笑得老臉綻放。接著說「作家先生要上黑流蘇之丘。」
「什麼！？」庫庫瞪大了眼
「馬拉松大賽更改路線啦，會經過山丘，大家都不敢跑啊，只有作家先生當場答應要跑！」爸爸繼續報告。
「天哪！他會發生什麼事我不敢想像。」
「我們也不敢想像勒！」
「從來沒有人上去過黑流蘇之丘耶，我是指人類，動物倒是有。」庫庫講這句話時，媽媽起身舀湯，爸爸倒是聽見了。
「動物？真的嗎？我以為沒有任何生物敢靠近那裏呢。」推了推下滑的眼鏡。
「有啊，昨天是一隻紅頂鶴，下午的時候。」
「沒搞錯吧！我們這裡沒有紅頂鶴，地理課本不是有教嗎，那是熱帶國家才有！」
「但是我真的看見了！」
「小孩子不能亂說話。」
「我說的是真的，不騙人。」
「吃飽上樓去吧，一樓好擠！」媽媽不耐煩的下達命令。她的耐心就像湯鍋裡的豆子一樣少。

"Did you practice math today?" the mother asked at the dining table.
"Sure! Hey what happened? Why mayor assembled everyone? "KuKu asked.
"It's not children's business!"
"We children have right to know." KuKu wouldn't give up.
"Okey, Mr. writer is going to run across Black Tassel Hill." the father followed up the subject.
"What? "the little girl cried out.
"They rearranged the running length of Marathon, it'll go straight to the hill. No one dare to run by now, only Mr. writer! You know he's out of mind! " the father keep saying.
"God! I can't imagine what would he encounter."
"Neither do us! "
"No human being have ever entered the hill, but animals have." KuKu made this statement while her mom leaved, but her dad heard it.

"Animals? Really? I've thought no living creature would get close to there!"
"Some of them would! A flamingo flew into it yesterday afternoon."
"No kidding? We have no flamingo here! Those birds live in the tropics. I don't think you study very hard on geography ! " old daddy said.
"No, I did see it!"
"Children are not allowed to lie. "
"I'm not lying!"
"Go upstairs as soon as you finish your food!" The mother, whose patience was as less as the beans in the soup, finally ended the coversation by giving an order!

11

瘦丈夫拉動繩子，鳥籠緩緩上升到閣樓，再次落下地面時，裡面多了一個小女孩。
大鳥籠，顯然是這小房子唯一能容下的升降梯。一頭淡色頭髮的小女孩，身手俐落地爬出鳥籠，像隻聰明的小狐狸一溜煙就鑽上了餐桌，坐得好好的。

桌燈光暈灑在三人臉上，胖太太擁有一張發光的大餅臉，她丈夫擁有一張倒三角形的老臉，鼻樑上掛著黑色方框眼鏡，至於庫庫，那個乘著鳥籠下來的女兒，像被人揮灑墨汁噴濺到似的，稚嫩小臉上有一大片粗暴的黑色斑點，看起來非常刺眼。

The empty birdcage slowly went up as the husband pulled a rope, few minutes later it landed the ground within a little girl. Obviously, the cage was a replacement of stair in this narrow house! A light-haired girl came out off it as fast as a fox jump up to her usual place at the dining table.

Lamp lighted up three faces. Mother had a moon face, Father had an old face, and KuKu, the daughter, had a pale face with a harsh spot, like someone had have splashed her face with black ink.